Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha dismissed three government employees, a police constable, a teacher and a forest department official, over alleged links to terrorism. He warned that those supporting or funding terrorism would face serious consequences. In recent years, more than 70 government employees in Jammu and Kashmir have been removed from service for alleged ties to terrorist groups.

The three dismissed employees, who are currently in jail, have been identified as Firdous Ahmad Bhat, a police constable; Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, a teacher in the school education department; and Nisar Ahmad Khan, who is an orderly in the forest department. A senior security official stated that these individuals were serving terrorist organisations instead of the nation.

The official stated, "They were betraying and sabotaging the same country which was feeding them. Look at the curious case of Firdous Ahmad Bhat, a police constable, who was orchestrating terror attacks instead of protecting the lives of citizens."

The dismissal order was issued a day after the Lieutenant Governor instructed the police and security agencies to step up anti-terror operations to eliminate terrorists and dismantle the “terror ecosystem.”

On February 13, at a review meeting, LG Manoj Sinha said, "Every perpetrator and supporter of terrorism must pay the price. We need to equip ourselves with credible intelligence and act more effectively to neutralise the terrorists."

The dismissed J&K employees are Firdous Ahmad Bhat, Nisar Ahmad Khan and Mohammad Ashraf Bhat.

Firdous Ahmad Bhat joined as a Special Police Officer (SPO) in 2005 and was promoted to constable in 2011. In 2024, he was arrested for allegedly assisting Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists in acquiring weapons and ammunition to target non-local civilians and tourists in Anantnag.

An intelligence source claimed that Bhat had guided LeT terrorists in the 2020 killing of J&K Police Sub-Inspector Ashraf Bhat. He was also accused of passing sensitive information about security forces' movements and identifying targets for attacks. Additionally, an official stated that Bhat sent terrorists to the homes of government officials and businessmen to intimidate and blackmail them.

Security officials revealed that Nisar Ahmad Khan, who worked as an orderly at the forest range office in Verinag, Anantnag, was secretly working for the terrorist group Hizbul Mujahideen with the intent to undermine the government.

His ties to the group were first uncovered in 2000 after a landmine explosion in Chamaran killed the then-power Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Investigations found that Khan, along with another suspect, had provided logistical support to the terrorists involved in the attack.

Ashraf Bhat, who secured a permanent teaching position in 2013, was allegedly involved with the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. Investigations revealed that he was being directed by Mohammad Qasim, a notorious LeT terrorist based in Pakistan.